A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis to Find Out the Efficacy of Socket Preservation Techniques in Adults in Split-Mouth Randomized Controlled Trials.

Alveolar ridge preservation has been practiced for a long time, yet it is not a standard component of post-extraction care. Post-extraction bone loss is an inevitable consequence, but successful implant treatment planning requires adequate bone and soft tissue coverage. Delayed implant placement and fixed partial dentures may significantly benefit from alveolar ridge preservation. This systematic review aimed to gather evidence on alveolar ridge preservation using split-mouth randomized controlled trials. The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration ID number CRD42020177085. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases and manual searches, yielding 4,654 results, from which 10 eligible studies were selected. These studies included a total of 101 participants and 202 extraction sockets. Meta-analysis was conducted using the fixed and random effects generic inverse variance method with the RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK). The analysis revealed that the mean bone dimensional change in width at three months was 1.99 (0.63, 3.35), while the vertical height changes for the buccal and lingual plates were 1.13 (0.57, 1.70) and 0.46 (-0.06, 0.98), respectively. The pooled mean for differences in width at six months favored alveolar ridge preservation, though the internal vertical height changes at six months provided contradictory results. The findings indicate that socket preservation techniques help reduce alveolar bone loss. However, the conclusions must be interpreted cautiously, as further research with long-term randomized controlled trials is necessary to evaluate outcomes beyond bone loss.